The Internet is the most powerful tool of interaction nowadays. Through its various functions ranging from File Transfer Protocols, e-mails and Internet Relay Chats, people all over the globe and even the Universe can get in touch with each other. Just like any new thing, the Internet also had its beginnings. From being utilized mainly for military functions, it expanded its usage to online shopping and home-based type of work. Introduction In this day and age, the Internet became a necessity to perform activities for daily living.
We see internet being used everywhere from supermarkets to music halls as well as hospitals and transportation management. The current internet technology allows us to view movies through our mobile phones and access the internet through wireless connections. Therefore, it is important to trace the beginnings of the Internet. The use of packet-switching networks in the 1960s laid the groundwork for the development of the internet. Transmitted information was delivered through small packets of data, forwarded to its destination and then later compiled.
A lone signal can be directed to multiple users and a delay in the transmission of a packet of information can be resent to the users without losing the contents of the packet. These packets can be condensed for faster transmission and it can also be “encrypted for security” (Shannon, The History of the Net, 2007, www. yourhtmlsource. com). In the early days, computers were huge and the network in operation had terminals that were attached to mainframes. It is comparative to the “client/server relationship” that exists today in the web (Shannon, The History of the Net, 2007, www.
yourhtmlsource. com). The Advanced Research Projects Agency Initially, packet-switching networks were seen in Europe. It was later developed in the United States in the late 1960s. It was used by the United States’ Defense Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). “It utilized Network Control Protocol as its transmission protocol from the late 1960s to the early 1980s” (Shannon, The History of the Net, 2007, www. yourhtmlsource. com). The Network Control Protocol was later changed to TCP/IP.
In the beginning, the Internet was used for military purposes and e-mail services started through the ARPANET system. Usenet was also widely used by universities in the US for transmission of educational and experimental data and it was recognized as a brilliant way of sharing information. Personal computers became popular in the 1970s and it made sharing information accessible to everyone. The Internet brought people together through online group discussions and chat rooms began to form through the development of the Internet Relay Chat (IRC) in 1988.
(Shannon, 2007, The History of the Net, www. yourhtmlsource. com) The need for a standard connecting system accessible and can be used by diverse computers in different ranges was the ultimate goal in the establishment of the World Wide Web (WWW) by Mr. Tim Berners-Lee, in 1991. The objective was that the internet can be accessed by both low end and high end computers through “browsers”. Researchers quickly caught up with the idea and started coming out with web sites and browsers on their own.
Websites sprouted like mushrooms all over the internet using basic HTML. With the proliferation of this websites, viruses and worms also emerged. Important sites surfaced and online shopping began; the war between Netscape and Microsoft as to who will dominate the “web browser” industry started; millions were earned by Internet companies such as Yahoo and Google; and the richest man in the world is the one who invented Microsoft. Each time, individuals constantly find a way how to manipulate these private websites and access their private files .
Thus, a new era of Internet security began and anti-hacking systems were placed so that information can be shared “securely” on the Internet (Shannon, 2007, www. yourhtmlsource. com). Up to this day, I believe that the Internet is one of the greatest achievements of mankind. Through internet, you can just sit at home and do home-based jobs, order pizzas, do bank transactions online, watch your favorite show, follow the events in another country, search the library, and even find dates.
The power of the Internet is information sharing, and I feel privileged to have lived in this age to experience this. Soon, more ways will be discovered on how to enjoy this privilege and I know I will experience it in this lifetime.
Reference
Shannon, R. (2007). The History of the Net. Retrieved on 26 January 2008. http://www. yourhtmlsource. com/starthere/historyofthenet. html#THEINTERNET